'Use Genetics To Cure Stupidity'

IOL ^ | 2-28-2003

[blam]

'Use genetics to cure stupidity'

February 28 2003 at 05:55PM

London - James Watson, the British biologist who won a Nobel Prize for his role in unlocking the structure of DNA 50 years ago, has advocated using genetics to "cure stupidity", in a documentary television series to be broadcast next month.

People of low intelligence who do not have a recognised mental disability are suffering from an inherited disorder as real as cystic fibrosis or haemophilia, Watson says in the series, according to a report in Friday's Times.

In the series which starts on March 8, Watson, 75, is sceptical of theories that blamed learning disabilities or poverty for poor intellectual performance and says the true cause of poor intelligence and achievement is more likely to be genetic.

"If you really are stupid, I would call that a disease. The lower 10 percent who really have difficulty, even in elementary school - what's the cause of it?" he asks.

'If you really are stupid, I would call that a disease' "A lot of people would like to say, 'Well, poverty, things like that.' It probably isn't. So I'd like to get rid of that, to help the lower 10 percent," he says.

Watson says it is unfair some people receive less opportunity and warns that some will resort to genetic means.

"Those parents who enhance their children, then their children are going to be the ones who dominate the world," he says.

Turning to beauty, Watson says this too could be engineered. "People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty. I think it would be great," he says.

Oliver James, a clinical psychologist and author, accused Watson of "ropey thinking" about the balance between nature and nurture, saying the ideas were "science fiction".

'People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty' Tom Shakespeare, a bioethics expert at the University of Newcastle, told the Times: "He is talking about altering something that most people see as part of normal human variation, and that, I think, is wrong."

"I'm afraid he may have done more harm than good, his leadership of the Human Genome Project and his discovery of 1953 notwithstanding," Shakespeare said.

Sir John Sulston, who ran Britain's contribution to the Human Genome Project, said Watson was exploring an "extremely dangerous area", but was not wrong to speak out. "It is foolish to put our heads in the sand," he said.

Watson and Crick jointly received the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1962, almost 10 years after their discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA was published in April 1953.

The discovery itself came on February 28 that year. "The discovery was made on that day, not slowly over the course of the week," Watson once told the BBC.

"It was simple; instantly you could explain this idea to anyone - you didn't have to be a high powered scientist to see how the genetic material was copied," he said. - Sapa-DPA

[steplock]

TWO RELATED STORIES??? You have to read them in this order :>)

Idiot Human Shields Figure It Out

A bunch of human shields are on their way to Baghdad to join those already
there. They're a little nervous, because no sooner had they positioned
themselves next to schools and milk factories than Iraqi army regiments
moved in behind them.

They're saying, "Well, wait a minute! This is not what we had in mind. These
army regiments might be targets." They then said, "This isn't about dying."
That's an actual quote from the Boston Globe, from an actual human shield.
"This isn't about dying. It's about making a political statement through
putting your body in a strategic location."


In an eerily related article:

Democrats can be Cured!, says DNA discoverer
NewScientist.com
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993451
Shaoni Bhattacharya

Fifty years to the day from the discovery of the structure of DNA, one of
its co-discoverers has caused a storm by suggesting that stupidity is a
genetic disease that should be cured.

In a documentary series to be screened in the UK on Channel 4, Watson says
that low intelligence is an inherited disorder and that molecular biologists
have a duty to devise gene therapies or screening tests to tackle stupidity.


Oh well - I guess that it's too late for the current crop of "stupid white
people"

;>)

[Welsh Rabbit]

But if stupidity is cured, who will make movies?

[Gorzaloon]

Fifty years to the day from the discovery of the structure of DNA, one of its co-discoverers has caused a storm by suggesting that stupidity is a genetic disease that should be cured.

You realize this could be the end of the Democratic Party....

[Gorzaloon]

Democrats can be Cured!, says DNA discoverer NewScientist.com

Arrgh..Missed it in the resulting joy! Sorry.

[Keith in Iowa]

It's like deja view all over again... see http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/854072/posts

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

'Use Genetics To Cure Stupidity'

Now if they would only move on the the more serious problem of using genetics to cure liberalism. I think liberalism is a few steps below stupidity on the scale.

Someone said that abortion was a way of killing off liberals. Makes sense in a way. Liberal - pro killing of babies - kill one's own baby.

[ladyjane]

Watson never wanted anyone to know that his inspiration for the double helix was an x-ray photograph (taken by another scientist) of a molecule of DNA. The scientist was Rosalind Franklin. Watson and Crick never acknowledged in their paper (that won them the Nobel) the original x-ray or other work she had done. Yet years later Watson admitted that "The instant I saw the picture my mouth fell open and my pulse began to race." He later said, "Rosy, of course, did not directly give us her data," Rosy didn't even know they had the xray. It is felt that Watson portrayed Franklin as hostile and unreasonable in his book to justify using her data without telling her. Nice guy.

[Porterville]

But liberals are so fun to pick on.

[Kensei]

By definition, one half of all people living today are of less than average intelligence. IHO, raise the bar.

[Right Brother]

'Use Genetics To Cure Stupidity'

Does anyone realize the devastating effect this would have on Professional Wrestling revenues?

[dalereed]

Outlawing public education would be a whole lot quicker than genetics!

[Arpege92]

Do you think Jennings would be interested in this therapy?